


Surprise

by TheLadyFiction



Series: Evie Trevelyan: Bull Rider [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Facial Hair, Fluff, Reunion, Total Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-23 22:57:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7483227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLadyFiction/pseuds/TheLadyFiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bull returns after time away with the Chargers on a private hire with a couple of surprises.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> All of the fluff is happening at the moment!
> 
> I love my Evie and her Bull, and am really enjoying writing these little 'expansions' again!
> 
> Thank you for reading, hope you enjoy, please leave a comment if you did, it helps me out immensely!  
> <3

Evie leaned over her desk and frowned at the blank paper in front of her, quill in hand, a drop of ink welling at it's tip as words escaped her along with a sigh.

 

Writing letters to request aid had never been her strong point, and Josephine usually handled all of the communication on behalf of the Inquisition, though this had to be an exception, she'd been told, as the Comte du Nerssei was being particularly bratty about lending his aid to the Inquisition, and had requested a letter hand written by herself.

Only then, he said, would he offer his aid.

 

And, so Evie was here, trying to think of an appropriate way to begin the letter that did not begin with 'Dear Ser pompous prick.'

 

The courtyard bell tolled twice, breaking Evie's concentration, her head shooting up and smile breaking across her face.

' _Bull's back'_ , she thought, excitedly, not giving the letter another thought before she jumped from the desk, striding across the room as fast as she could without running and went to head down the staircase to the passage leading into the main hall.

 

Catching sight of herself as she passed the full length mirror that resided at the top of the stairs, she turned quickly, checking herself over; she was only wearing her usual casual outfit, samite with mirrored beading and cream stitching, not too formal looking but enough that people would still show her respect, not that how she dressed had much impact on people's reaction within Skyhold any more.

 

Straightening her top, she flicked a loose strand of hair that had fallen from her braid and caught on the fine fuzz of her undercut, only freshly done yesterday, and styled the strand by her face.

Giving herself a quick nod, she turned heel and went down the steps, a small bounce in her step.

 

It had been five long weeks since Bull's Chargers had been hired to complete a job by one of the Dukes they had encountered at Halamshirral, and it had been insisted that Bull accompany the Chargers this time, something he had been more than eager to do when they found out it involved rescuing some kind of family heirloom from a Dragon's treasure horde.

 

And though Evie was sad to see him go for a while, she knew he had been struggling for a while with being cooped up within Skyhold, and that it would do him good to be back on the road and re-connect with his men, especially since the entire Inquisition was experiencing a lull in activity now they had to root through the mess that had been the Winter Palace.

 

Both sides were regrouping at the moment, it seemed, them and Corypheus, planning next moves.

 

But none of that mattered as Evie pushed through the large wooden door, nodding to the guards that saluted her as she walked into the main hall, heading straight for the front doors that seemed almost permanently open, glad the crowd that usually milled about inside had thinned, mostly likely having moved out to see what the commotion was in the courtyard, not many having know it would be the Chargers as Evie did, from the raven she had received not a day ago.

 

Even Varric seemed to have vanished from his usual spot, and she was glad for the lack of distractions as she stepped into the bright sunlight that flooded the courtyard, squinting as she carefully made her way down the steps, a stream of people coming over the bridge now; she forgot just how large Bull's company actually was, as only the core members seemed to hang around him in the tavern, newer or lower ranking recruits mostly tending to spend their time with the other soldiers in the lower camp or training amongst themselves.

 

However, it seemed like the entire company was now filing into Skyhold, each person carrying a huge sack of... something.

 

Evie gave a bemused smile as she spotted Josephine by the containing wall of the top courtyard, looking somewhat stricken, with her writing board in hand, fingers clutching at it tightly.

 

“Everything okay, Josie?” Evie asked cordially as she approached their ambassador, hands behind her back trying to stop herself wringing them in excited, the anticipation of seeing Bull again.

 

“Oh, Inquisitor, I...” she began, seeming to think better of what she was about to say, instead letting out a long sigh. “Yes, I think I will be. Something... unexpected, had come back with the Chargers, it seems.”

 

Evie frowned a little, looking over the crowd of people.

“Unexpected?”

Josephine sighed again, looking down to her board.

“Yes. It would seem that the Duke that hired them was a tad... eccentric.”

“Oh?” Evie asked, amused now, assuming that Josie's woes must have something to do with whatever it was the Chargers all seemed to be carrying.

 

The ambassador heaved a huge sigh, her shoulders sagging a little before she regained her usual composure, looking down and doing a swift headcount of the most recently batch of arrivals.

“Indeed,” she confirmed as she picked the up the quill she had balanced on the top of her board, dipping it carefully on the attached inkwell and marking down a few more tallies. “It would seem the Duke has been overly generous in his payment, supplying, not only food and drinks for Inquisition forces as a show of gratitude but... he has paid the Chargers themselves in...”

 

She never got the finish her sentence before Evie was almost knocked over the wall by a figure carrying a large sack, causing her to stumble forward.

Evie let out a yelp, as did her assailant, the yelp turning shocked as a flood of hard, large white gems began raining down on top of her, catching her by surprise.

 

“Shit!” she heard a familiar voice “I mean... I'm sorry, your Worship, I didn't see you behind...” the figure said, dropping the bag to the ground in front of him, a stricken look on his face.

 

“Good to see you too, Krem,” she grinned, glad when his face relaxed a little. She was about to stand when she caught eye of the glistening gems that had fallen on her, her mouth dropping open in shock.

 

“Are these... diamonds?” she asked, incredulously.

A huge grin suddenly split across Krem's face.

“They sure are, your Worship! The old Duke we did the work for paid us in diamonds instead of gold. Old cad said he had more of them than gold bars and we can do a lot more trade with them, so it suited us just fine!”

 

Evie stared at Josephine, who was shaking her head a little; suddenly, she understood why she had been so out of sorts.

 

“But... wow,” Evie responded, surveying the crowd of people below her, even as Krem began to pick up the diamonds that had fallen around her. “You mean,” she asked him, dropping down to help him in his task, “that every single one of those bags is filled with diamonds?”

 

Krem grinned, giving an enthusiastic nod.

“Well, some of them are full of rubies, at least one is emeralds that I've seen and the one Chief had was full of the jewellery we got given from the actual horde, but yeah, for the most part, diamonds.”

 

“That's... wow,” Evie smiled back, dumping a handful of diamonds into the top of the bag Krem had been carrying, doing a quick check of the floor to make sure they hadn't missed any. “So.. where are you going to be keeping them?”

 

“Here-in lies our problem,” Josephine interjected, frowning a little. “The Iron Bull had presumed we could keep them in our vault until... other arrangements, could be made.”

 

Evie frowned, feeling a little annoyed at Bull for a moment.

“But that's for Inquisition resources, we can't have people traipsing in and out, putting in and taking out as they please!” she protested, wondering if he hadn't actually planned this far ahead yet.

“My point exactly,” Josie nodded. “It could cause complications, and if there is one thing we definitely don't need, it is complications. Especially to our finances!”

 

Evie nodded, grumbling lowly to herself.

“Where is the great lug, I'll have a word with him, see what we can work out.”

 

“Aw, and there was me thinking that banging the boss got me preferential treatment!” a low rumble sounded behind Evie, making her jump as strong arms wound around her waist, encompassing her body.

She let out a soft gasp, caught unaware but quickly caught herself, a smile crossing her face as she turned in his embrace.

“Bull,” she began to chastised him playfully, ready to begin making other arrangements when her gaze met his face and she froze; it was Bull, alright, but it wasn't _her_ Bull.

 

For starters, _her_ Bull didn't have a thick curly, black beard and moustache.

 

His dazzling smile faltered a little as he saw the uncertainty in her eyes, clearing his throat and taking a half step back before turning to Josephine, Evie's eyes locked on his face, taking in the thick hair that now resided on his chin and around his mouth; she'd never given the fact that Bull shaved so regularly much thought.

The most she had ever seen on their travels was the fine stubble that grew persistently which he either shaved or endured for the week or so they had between proper rest stops, where he would have an it was all back to normal.

 

He must not have shaved for their entire trip this time, she reasoned.

 

She noticed, now with fascination, that there was a tufty layer of fuzzy hair on his head, beginning just behind his horns and spreading down, in front of his ears into sideburns and to the nape of his neck. She had the sudden urge to run her fingers through it, wondering if it felt coarse or soft, only stopping herself from reaching for him when she heard him speak again.

 

“Look, we only need to store them for a couple of days before our contacts will be here to take them to our lock-up. I know it's a pain in the ass but we weren't expecting... this,” Bull gestured to the stream of people in the courtyard.

 

Josephine raised an eyebrow at the mercenary before heaving a sigh, dropping her clipboard to her side as she did so.

“Fine,” she conceded, her free hand moving up to pinch the bridge of her nose as she shook her head. “Two days, The Iron Bull. That is all you have and I want them gone after that! Have designated people ready to help store them.”

 

“Krem,” Bull half shouted behind him.

“On it, chief,” Krem confirmed, gesturing to another one of the nearby soldiers and moving back down the steps, beginning to shout commands at them as he did so.

Josephine heaved another deep sigh before patting Evie on the back gently and beginning a graceful approach to the hallway with a murmured, “until later, Inquisitor,” and a fond smile as she passed.

 

Evie nodded in return, though her gaze was now locked with Bull's, flitting over his face, the smile now completely gone from his face, replaced with a mix of concern and confusion.

 

“Kadan?” he asked softly, testing the water.

Evie shook her head, blinking a couple of times.

 

' _It's Bull, my Bull,_ ' she reminded herself, thinking back to all those weeks ago when he had set out, how she had been so concerned he may not return, as she always was when she watched him leave from the ramparts, fighting back tears even as he waved his farewell.

 

With a small sob of relief and a smile once again on her face, Evie stepped forward, closing the gap between them once more, pressing her face into Bull's chest as his smile returned, arms encompassing her easily once again.

 

Evie took a deep breath, the salty tang of Bull's skin making her entire body react, the firmness of his muscles under her touch, the thundering of his heart under her ear, all of him, so familiar and comforting, caused a heat to rise through her.

 

“Bull,” she sighed into him, looking up to him after a moment, his eye shining with affection as he met her gaze, toothy grin plastered on his face. “I'm glad you're home,” she admitted, taking a step back after a moment.

 

“Is everything okay?” he asked quickly, studying her, concern clear on his features.

 

Evie took a deep breath and flashed him a reassuring smile, sliding her hand into his, their fingers interlocking.

 

“It's fine,” she grinned, eyes flickering over his face once more. Now the initial shock had worn off, she was taking in just how different he looked with a beard and the soft tufts of hair on his head; he looked years younger, jarring through it was. “It was just... this,” she moved her other hand up to stroke through Bull's beard, finding it softer than he had imagined, the hair at it's longest, a few inches. She wound a finger through it. “...it took me by surprise, that's all. You look so... different!” she exclaimed, for lack of a better word.

 

Bull grinned, sheepishly.

“Ah, shit, yeah,” he chuckled, running one hand through the soft fuzz that had sprouted on the back of his head. “Left without a razor and would have been too busy to do anything about it anyway. Do... do you like it?”

There was an unsure edge to his voice that caught Evie off guard. He was watching her closely, gauging her reaction as she continued to twist the soft hair on his chin around her index finger.

 

She thought for a moment, taking in his features, his strong chin under the hair, his cheekbones, the eyepatch, ever-present outside their room.

 

“It's... odd,” she admitted after a while. “When I turned, you looked so different, it scared me for a second.”

“Oh,” Bull frowned a little. “I did plan on shaving before I came to see you, but...”

Evie smiled and leaned up into Bull, tilting her face up a little and kissed him, his beard tickling her face, the feeling odd and alien, leaving the skin tingling a little at the too soft contact.

They both smiled into the kiss as Evie's hand now moved from his beard, stretching up, around his horns to run her fingers through his hair.

 

Bull shuddered a little at the feeling, giving a soft growl and pulling her closer to him.

She grinned against his lips as they pulled apart.

 

“It's not bad,” she panted a little, still breathless from their kiss. “It's just... different. Why, do you plan on keeping it?”

“Would you want me to?” Bull asked, serious now.

“I...” Evie frowned at him for a moment. “Why is it my choice? It's your body,” she reminded him. Bull smiled affectionately at her.

“I know, I know, but _you're_ the one who has to look at it the most.”

“Still, I wouldn't feel comfortable telling you what to do with your body,” she admitted. “I still l...” she swallowed her words, a flush rising to her cheeks, Bull thankfully seeming not to notice. “I still find you attractive, no matter what. It would be a change, but I wouldn't mind.”

 

Bull grinned broadly at her for a second before having a sigh, his face suddenly unreadable.

“It would be a lot less work, but...” he trailed off, eye suddenly unfocused, expression falling to something Evie hadn't seen on him before; it was blank, like there was no-one inside, and it made something in her chest clench uncomfortably.

 

“Bull?” she asked softly, the name seeming to snap him out of a daze. He jumped a little, shaking his head before settling his gaze back on her.

“Sorry, kadan,” he murmured, the smile that graced his lips not quite reaching his eye. “The last time I had,” he gestured to his face, “this, was Seheron and...”

 

Evie shook her head, bringing him back down into another kiss, shushing him.

“You don't have to explain,” she said against his lips, glad when Bull heaved a grateful sigh.

“So glad you get me, kadan,” he smiled, softer now as his hands found their way to her hips, just resting as she dipped her head, his lips coming to rest on her forehead.

 

“Used to have hair down my back though. Fucking pain to keep it neat,” he admitted with another short sigh.

“Really?” Evie looked up again, inquisitive. She couldn't quite picture it in her mind, in the same way she struggled to picture Bull with two eyes; this was how she had always known him, and she was happy with that.

“Yeah. So glad I got rid of it,” he sighed again, his thumbs rubbing gentle circles into her skin. Evie bit back a moan as one of his thumbs slipped under her shirt, callouses rough on soft flesh.

“Want to help me get cleaned up and shaved, then I can pin you to the bed and watch your tits bounce?” Bull asked bluntly, causing Evie to flush and bat at his exposed chest, looking around sheepishly to make sure no-one else had heard that.

 

“What?” Bull continued with a chuckle. “I've missed that. And missed you.”

Evie flushed again, but for entirely different reasons now.

“I missed you too, you massive pile of nug dung,” she retorted, fighting the urge to stick her tongue out. “Now let's go. If you're going to rile me up with talk like that, you're gonna make good on it, sharpish.”

 

“Can do, kadan” Bull smiled at the squeal Evie let out when he scooped her up, into his arms and proceeded to carry her towards the tavern, a roar of cheering and lewd comments from his men following them.

 


End file.
